Aug 03 2005

In honour of my surrogate family the Pruesses I share this family ritual. Often when guests come over for a meal it is expected of me being a minister to say a grace. Very often my guests are surprised by the form my thanks regularly take.

Almost thirty years ago Nora joined our family through marriage with my father, Harry. She continues to bring much richness into our family from her parents and heritage. Their custom at meal times, which I have adopted, is to come together holding hands and in unison with enthusiasm, say: “Zhite Frolic” (sp?), German for “be happy”. The reasoning has been that a simple sense of joy aids digestion.

Gratitude is not something that can be mouthed as a simple habit; without feeling it has no meaning. Saying “please and thank you” is of no value when lacking feeling. On the other hand “can I?” with desire and passion back of it can be and is a child’s psalms to the Divine. I have often heard parents steal their children’s enthusiasm with the demand of, “Say please!”

Do we really listen to people or do we spend more time listening to our own inner chatter and seeking the approval of people long dead in our lives?

Ritual is a wonderful thing in our lives and can bring us much joy, but only when it is steeped in the memory of joy. If the joy is not present release the ritual and develop new ones that do embrace the feeling. Those rituals like close family, both hereditary and spiritual, will help to move you through times of challenge.

I have many rituals that I attend to with some sense of regularity: meditating, reading of inspiration, journaling, random acts of kindness and daily acknowledgements are just a few. My life is a joy because I choose to be the joy in my life and passionate rituals are very much a part of that choice.